Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1887-12-16
ELK CITY COUNTRY.
Discovery OF Promising Quartz Prospects on
American and Red Rivers, Etc.
GRANGEvILLE, IDAHO,
nnn q 1907

EDITOR FREE PRESS: Now and then an
old prospector's dream of wealth is real
lied by the finding of ledge or "pocke ct"
containing twenty-dollar gold pieces
and If reports are true, the old HASH
ampa region, where the first mining
was done in Arizona, has lately been
the scene of the discovery of a quartz
ledge which the widest dream could
hardly exceed in wealth of the glittering
mineral. The writer has "run over"
every portion of that famous mineral
locality, and this wonderful find is but
a few miles from the well known "An-
telope Hill," where Jack Swilling and
Mr.. PEBBLES, took out with a pan and
butcherknife a vast amount of gold in
three or four days. Jack has often told
me that he heaped together $4,000, the
first days work at Antelope Hill How
much Mr. PEBBLES took out no one knows,
or ever will, for he is very reticent
man, and he and Jack worked independ-
emily. The formation there is granite,
interpreted with belts or dykes ofgneiss,
slate, porphyry and qnartzite. Hun
dreds of lodges have been found in that
vicinity-being the Bradshaw noun
tains, in the northern extremity of
which range Prescott, the capital of Ar
izona, is situated. Nearly all those lodges
were, however, though rich in gold and
silver, very small--loo small to be prof
liable property. But the alluremen,s to
the prospector, on account of the pres
ence of so many little knife blade led yes
with here and there pockets, or "knots"
yielding few hundred pounds of very
rich rock, were consequently great, and
tho Unn6nr ia that this rinh lapoe;t h,e
not been found long ago. But the rea-
son, flatter myself. that | did not find
1t in my perambulations there, assign
to the probability that some water
epout-which are of frequent occurrence
there-has but recently uncovered the
ledge and brought it to view. And this
is an agent which operates in that coun-
try, together with seismic shakes, to
bring to light hidden wealth.
But have been prospecting this sum-
mer in the Elk City district, Idaho
county, !. T., concerning which | desire
to say somewhat. The obstacles which
there present themselves to the discov-
cry of quartz lodges are very hard to
Overcome-trees, logs, brush and soil so
extensively covering up and hiding the
bedrock, except where placer washings
have laid it bare in the ravines. But
those operations have made it possible
to examine much of the float" rock.
and an abundance of sulphuret bearing
quartz is to be seen. / have tested
these sulphurets, or pyrites, by roast
ing In a log-heap for several days. until
the sulphur is driven off, and in every
instance l was able to pan out good
prospects, and some were remarkably
rich in gold. But little free gold"
quartz has been found, and this fact has
hn al a II, :,
conclude the lodges were not there.
But having discovered a five.foo sui
phuret ledge in one of the old placer
washes, gave it a pan test, and found
it yielded a little free gold. Upon
breaking up the rock it showed galena,
horn silver and copper stain in spots,
with 10 to 75 per cent. of iron su!phu-
rets. Assays yielded $50 to $500 in
gold, and from trace To 100 ounces in
silver. Setting fire to the woods, l sue
ceeded in burning off the logs for some
half mile around, and found another
ledge 22feet wide, and containing verv
little pyrites, but prospecting free gold
very literally. l sunk down about ten
feet. made a sled and hauled the rock,
which contains considerable oxide, to
the American river, and made 50 per
day running it through a rocker. Fine
gold is plainly visible throughout the
rock. But this ledge appears to be of
the pocket" order, being a CLASSY quartz
thickly studded with little cavities and
oxidized spots. which are the matrices
of the gold 1t was no doubt from such
lodges as this that the placer gold,
so abundant for many miles around
Elk City. found it's way into the ravines.
Mr.. Terwilliger and partner, who
live near Portland, were prospecting
near Elk few weeks. and found ledge
about eight feet wide, which is wei.
filed with sulphurets, with free gold
visible in many places. They took two
hundred pounds to Portland to have
tested. with what result is not known.
Two Spedden brothers, from Astoria,
made several locations, and got assay of
$50 per ton.
S. w. Smith owns an old location
half mile from Elk City, which is a
four-foot ledge, discovered in the early
days of the camp, and which was at that
time tested by the arastra, end Welded
an ounce of gold per ton. Mr.. S. is
putting up one-stamp test mill upon it.
He has also a silver ledge in the yicin-
ity, which he has tested by shipment of
few tons, and reports return of $50
ounces.
Henry Ternan has fine prespect-a
ledge running across his placer claim.
1t is very large, but Mr.. Ternan has
been busy with his placer claim, and has
not yet turned his attention to its de.
velopment. 1t is one and hal miles from
Elk, just across the American river. He
has also a galena- bearing location two
miles above.
B. b. Stuart. who owns the old bitches
which take in the placer claims along
Elk creek, has also several quartz loca-
tons. He is an old mining man from
Colorado, and the assayer for the dis
trict.
Mr.. J. T. Sherwood. who owns an
interest in the Blue Dragon mine, on
American river, has sent some of the
rock to the Selby Smelling works, San
IL IL